Galah facts!

Hit me with all your knowledge on everything I should know about Galahs, I know their diet and know about how they can get fatty tumors, but you can mention it.
Mike

Anyone???

Before getting into all that, have you even been around Cockatoos long enough to know potential issues? Such as emotional issues. Dust is a BIG issues with Cockatoos, they create powder dust, A LOT of them. Just make sure your not allergic to them before you bring one home. I would highly suggest in getting a air purifier around Cockatoos! Cockatoos are prone to plucking issues, keep him happy! Have toys, play music or tv for him if your not around. You NEED to let them learn to play by themselves, so don't try to glue yourself to them for long periods of time. Please, read read and read about Cockatoos!!!!

They are pink and grey

OK... I'll be serious for once just for you Im not sure what facts, but I left it to more light hearted ones rather than your typical doom and gloom stuff.

* They have feather dust and loads of it, your cage will need to be dusted daily as well as regularly cleaned. I used to use a damp cloth and on the bars every morning

* They raise their crest and wings and scream in excitement in the most amusing way and will do somersaults on their branches (make sure you get a BIG cage )

* They love to eat with you, they prefer it over anything else. They will even take small bits of meat and love picking at bones (with supervision), lamb and chicken bones being a general favourite

* They grow to about 12inches in length, thats about a foot. They weigh about 280-480g (estimate, dont shoot me if I am out a bit lol)

* They love cuddles and interaction but are mouthy, so develop a good pain tolerance and understand they arent trying to hurt you, they just use that beak like a hand to grab and play. Make sure to let them know biting hard is not acceptable (they are fully capable of learning to be gentle), do this by ending play immediately, as soon as they hurt you. You can use a word to let them know they have hurt you (but be prepared for them to repeat it lol) like "ouch" but dont make a fuss or over react, just be calm.

* They are AMAZING flyers!! They can change direction so quickly and are very good at flying through obstacles... I am sure you have seen them in the wild! I have observed them flying straight down the trunk of a tree to land at the base or swoop back up at speed to land in a nearby branch.

* Both boys and girls are equally likely to talk and have the same talking ability. Which is honestly pretty limited But its very cute! My larrikin used to say "whatchu doin' biiiiiirdy biiiiird?" LOL And "aren't ya gunna gimme a kisssssh" and then a big "MUAH" kissing noise... and he would mix them all up at will, saying "birdy birdy birdy birdy" or "gimme kish birdy biiiiird" or "whatchu doin KISH!" like he was demanding a kiss or else LOL. He would whistle VERY well though and could whistle short tunes. And he laughed ALL the time. He would laugh for a few minutes after performing his galah sillies, mostly because I would always laugh at him, he was so entertaining!

True Mikey!
People tend to take it for granted... buuuut at the same time I think a lot of issues are created by parronts who worry too much about their birds

I think the best thing I ever did for my galah was not creating a routine, even though all the forums and sources said to create a routine for them. He would be out at random times for random amounts of time and he would occasionally spend the majority of the day in his cage. He never had an issue

MikeyTN said:

Before getting into all that, have you even been around Cockatoos long enough to know potential issues? Such as emotional issues. Dust is a BIG issues with Cockatoos, they create powder dust, A LOT of them. Just make sure your not allergic to them before you bring one home. I would highly suggest in getting a air purifier around Cockatoos! Cockatoos are prone to plucking issues, keep him happy! Have toys, play music or tv for him if your not around. You NEED to let them learn to play by themselves, so don't try to glue yourself to them for long periods of time. Please, read read and read about Cockatoos!!!!

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Ive done heaps of research (but you can never know 2 much), I have been around Cockatoos before (my aunties and my cousins), and yes I am aware of the amount of "too dust".
Cheers, Mike.

Thanks 4 the replies!
Keep 'em coming guys

Thingamagigs said:

True Mikey!
People tend to take it for granted... buuuut at the same time I think a lot of issues are created by parronts who worry too much about their birds

I think the best thing I ever did for my galah was not creating a routine, even though all the forums and sources said to create a routine for them. He would be out at random times for random amounts of time and he would occasionally spend the majority of the day in his cage. He never had an issue

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I don't have any routines with ANY of my birds. But I keep the feeding routine pretty regular and that's about it. That and I have my lights on timer that comes on at the same time everyday and we manually turn on the tv or the radio for them before we leave for work.

One of the best thing I've done with Java my U2 was just plain ignore him when he was being evil. Placed him in the bird room with the other birds. Kept my distance at times by not letting him sit in my lap as we only do that once in awhile now. He seems to be MUCH better, no longer tries to be evil towards me when he don't get his ways, but I still keep an eye out for him. He got to the point he was very dangerous to even let out of his cage cause he was trying to run us over. He's an excellent flier as he is able to maneuver around the house without hitting anything. He's a BIG bird!!!! When the flying attack started, that becomes too much as I have to watch for our own safety plus our other animals. So I became very strict with him as he was caged for awhile to learn to play by himself. I just refuse to clip him, he's already got a plucking issue from his previous family, by clipping him, that would make it worse. Only the baby birds in this house gets clipped, none of my adult birds are clipped!!!! And yes I do let them out to fly, but even though they can fly, they rarely leave my sight. Only when they get spooked but they always fly back. Like my macaw did tonight when something spooked him, he flew towards me and huddle against me cause he was scared. Our other Cockatoo is a sweet heart that's just exact opposite from Java. But she used to be bad, so strict training worked for her and she learned to play on her own, she had plucking issues too from the previous owner. She still clips the tip of her feathers, but at least she's not plucking them. And she doesn't bite at all and is safe to let out without worry about us being attacked.

I dont envy you! An air attack from a U2 would be a bit terrifying. You are right, strict training is essential! They are pretty much toddlers with crazy adult hormones and the ability to fly LOL You let them get away with something once, it begins to give them ideas. You have to stick to the plan always.
I am glad things like U2s are not available to the general public here. The worst thing your average person has access to is the sulfur crested... but they are $600+ handreared, which helps deter most. (we aussies are a cheap bunch )

Imagine getting attacked by this guy:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSs6q_sTr4&feature=related]Roadie The Pink Chicken - YouTube[/ame]

Thingamagigs I really appreciated your post! And the somersaults are the BEST!!! I'm glad you told me before my girl did it the first time so I wasn't worried.

One thing I've learned about Galahs Mike, in my 3 short weeks with mine, is that she loves the floor!!! I cannot have her out as much as I like because I have two dogs. (I put them behind a gate when she is out). She will not stay on her perch so my husband is building her a big activity center with a tree that will be like a raised floor away from our dogs. She adores playing on the bottom of her cage and I have several toys hung down there for her and a big crock full of foot toys. She takes them all out to play and then puts some back. You will LOVE your Galah!

I'll second the advice that Galah's are good flyers, VERY aerodynamic, even if you elect to keep yours wing-clipped. Teach your baby to wear a harness (my guy has a PINK one that matches his feathers) when he's young (MUCH easier that way than trying that with an adult). I had my guy from the time he was weaned so I introduced almost every fresh fruit and veggie I wanted him to eat during his formative months, which has resulted in a healthy eater as an adult. And, learn to make your own wood toys. Mine goes through a wood toy a DAY (he chips wood like he's getting paid to do it!). I buy lumber and cut him planks and put on a stainless chain with large beads to separate blocks. Keeps him very busy all day. A word about Galah's and talking ability, I think it must vary quite a bit. My Galah actually talks clearer and has a larger vocabulary than my Grey. The Galah is also a dust factory, so get ready to give up wearing black. Good luck with your new baby.

Galahs, as you said are prone to fatty tutors so I don't think it would be a good idea to clip they're wings as they need the excersise. Have you ever read about free flight training or flight suits ? I would reccomend free flight training though it's your choice. If you don't want to free flight train give them some chances to free fly around a room. When you get the baby post pics !

Actually wing clipping isn't a problem if he is out on the floor a lot... galahs are VERY active on the ground. That is where they do most of their... everything! Just as Livlaughlov said. They roll around and play with toys... and anything is a toy. You have to watch them too, they have a cheeky streak and a fabulous sense of humour! If they know it will make you animated (angry) they will do it for a laugh. Like chewing on the lounge.

I know there is a lot of misinformation out there about Australian's attitudes to galahs... but we love them. Isolated farmers who farm grains in dry areas don't, but in my opinion they shouldnt be farming in such arid areas!
People say we use the word "galah" as a derogatory term... its not! You call someone who is acting like a lovable goofball a "galah". If someone is dancing on the table in a bar like a doofus, you call them a galah. If someone is doing something hilarious but foolish, you call them a galah. And if you knew galahs well, you would understand why! Everything in a galahs life is an opportunity to play. If I am reincarnated, I want to be a galah!

(also, they are not Australia's pigeon... thanks to pigeon enthusiasts, pigeons are Australia's pigeon. Galahs are not the most common birds in our suburbs and are unheard of in the city!!! I dont know where people got this misconception from but along with the rumour that australians hate galahs it irks me!).

Thingamagigs said:

Actually wing clipping isn't a problem if he is out on the floor a lot... galahs are VERY active on the ground. That is where they do most of their... everything! Just as Livlaughlov said. They roll around and play with toys... and anything is a toy. You have to watch them too, they have a cheeky streak and a fabulous sense of humour! If they know it will make you animated (angry) they will do it for a laugh. Like chewing on the lounge.

I know there is a lot of misinformation out there about Australian's attitudes to galahs... but we love them. Isolated farmers who farm grains in dry areas don't, but in my opinion they shouldnt be farming in such arid areas!
People say we use the word "galah" as a derogatory term... its not! You call someone who is acting like a lovable goofball a "galah". If someone is dancing on the table in a bar like a doofus, you call them a galah. If someone is doing something hilarious but foolish, you call them a galah. And if you knew galahs well, you would understand why! Everything in a galahs life is an opportunity to play. If I am reincarnated, I want to be a galah!

(also, they are not Australia's pigeon... thanks to pigeon enthusiasts, pigeons are Australia's pigeon. Galahs are not the most common birds in our suburbs and are unheard of in the city!!! I dont know where people got this misconception from but along with the rumour that australians hate galahs it irks me!).

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Thank you for clearing that up! I recently joined an Australian group for Galah lovers and they are awesome and adore their pink fluffs! I will also spread the good word. Now if I can think of a good name. I have already tried Blossom then Rowen and my husband did not like either. Any ideas?

LivLaughLov said:

Thank you for clearing that up! I recently joined an Australian group for Galah lovers and they are awesome and adore their pink fluffs! I will also spread the good word. Now if I can think of a good name. I have already tried Blossom then Rowen and my husband did not like either. Any ideas?

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I don't really have a suggestion because I think Blossom sounds perfect!! They remind me of a beautiful soft pink blossom :20:
They also remind me of fairy floss... Floss is a pretty common Aussie tongue in cheek name for critters I am pretty sure there is a character in one of those adorable aussie illustrated books named floss.

Thanks Guys
3 Days to go!!!

Names?????

I had a lovely Galah "Saffie" We had him for about 2 years until he flew out the front door. My son who was 4 at the time opened the door and I shouted for him to close the door because Saffie was out, only to scare him into flight and he went right out. He was clipped too, but the wind was just too strong for him to fly against it to get back to me, even though he really tried...bless him. He was happy to just sit on his playstand or cage or someone's shoulder. He did chew through perches really quickly though.

Aims said:

I had a lovely Galah "Saffie" We had him for about 2 years until he flew out the front door. My son who was 4 at the time opened the door and I shouted for him to close the door because Saffie was out, only to scare him into flight and he went right out. He was clipped too, but the wind was just too strong for him to fly against it to get back to me, even though he really tried...bless him. He was happy to just sit on his playstand or cage or someone's shoulder. He did chew through perches really quickly though.

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That sucks